European City Facility
LIFE Clean Energy Transition
Funding Amount
Up to €15.0M
Deadline
23/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution
Trusted by
What is the European City Facility Call?
Grant Description
This call aims to establish a follow-up European City Facility under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme to help European cities and municipalities turn their climate and energy plans into bankable investment concepts for energy efficiency and renewable energy. It addresses capacity gaps in public authorities by delivering lump sum grants, technical and financial services, capacity building, and peer exchange. Expected outputs include mature investment concepts, increased local staff capa...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
• Delivery of investment concepts (including for local heating and cooling plans) for a large number of European municipalities
• Transformation of concepts into tangible, ambitious investments
• Enhanced capacity of public authority staff to develop integrated energy transition investment concepts
• Investments in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and small-scale renewables) triggered (cumulative, in million EUR)
• Primary energy savings achieved (GWh/year)
• Renewable energy generation triggered (GWh/year)
• Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (t CO₂-eq/year)
• Scaled-up and replicable EUCF approach across Europe, mobilising significant private finance alongside cost-effective public funding
• Creation of finance-ready pipelines with clear legal, governance and financing strategies
• Strengthened networks and peer-to-peer exchanges among cities
• Comprehensive monitoring, analysis and dissemination of results and success stories
• Synergistic integration with Smart Cities Marketplace and Covenant of Mayors initiatives, contributing to EU 2030 and 2050 climate and energy targets and to the Affordable Energy Action Plan objectives
• Transformation of concepts into tangible, ambitious investments
• Enhanced capacity of public authority staff to develop integrated energy transition investment concepts
• Investments in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and small-scale renewables) triggered (cumulative, in million EUR)
• Primary energy savings achieved (GWh/year)
• Renewable energy generation triggered (GWh/year)
• Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (t CO₂-eq/year)
• Scaled-up and replicable EUCF approach across Europe, mobilising significant private finance alongside cost-effective public funding
• Creation of finance-ready pipelines with clear legal, governance and financing strategies
• Strengthened networks and peer-to-peer exchanges among cities
• Comprehensive monitoring, analysis and dissemination of results and success stories
• Synergistic integration with Smart Cities Marketplace and Covenant of Mayors initiatives, contributing to EU 2030 and 2050 climate and energy targets and to the Affordable Energy Action Plan objectives
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
• Build on and scale up the fundamental approach of the existing European City Facility (EUCF)
• Deliver lump-sum grants representing 70–75% of the project budget to third parties, with justification of need and management arrangements
• Design calls and selection criteria in line with EU standards on transparency, equal treatment, conflict of interest and confidentiality
• Demonstrate capacity to run a large-scale financial support scheme per LIFE CET standards (selection based on investment scale, energy savings, cost-efficiency, number of inhabitants)
• Offer national-level services: application support, investment concept development, financing-stream identification, and implementation guidance
• Implement tailored capacity building to maximise the effective use of grants and support post-concept phases
• Provide structured opportunities for best practice exchange among cities and municipalities
• Establish tools for monitoring, analysis, capitalisation, communication and dissemination of both investment potential and actual investment implementation post-grant
• Be rooted in municipal sustainable energy/climate planning and financial engineering for energy efficiency and renewables
• Demonstrate strategic understanding of upscaling finance and mobilising private capital
• Mobilise a critical mass of municipalities (or groupings) via an inclusive outreach strategy covering Europe
• Ensure third-party applicants (cities/municipalities) provide proof of political commitment, existing planning resources (SECAPs, heating/cooling plans or equivalent), clear potential for investment and energy savings, defined investment sectors, proposed financial solutions, governance arrangements, stakeholder engagement strategy, long-term capacity building plan and a commitment to monitor investment implementation for at least one year
• Form a consortium of at least three independent beneficiaries from three different eligible countries
• Deliver lump-sum grants representing 70–75% of the project budget to third parties, with justification of need and management arrangements
• Design calls and selection criteria in line with EU standards on transparency, equal treatment, conflict of interest and confidentiality
• Demonstrate capacity to run a large-scale financial support scheme per LIFE CET standards (selection based on investment scale, energy savings, cost-efficiency, number of inhabitants)
• Offer national-level services: application support, investment concept development, financing-stream identification, and implementation guidance
• Implement tailored capacity building to maximise the effective use of grants and support post-concept phases
• Provide structured opportunities for best practice exchange among cities and municipalities
• Establish tools for monitoring, analysis, capitalisation, communication and dissemination of both investment potential and actual investment implementation post-grant
• Be rooted in municipal sustainable energy/climate planning and financial engineering for energy efficiency and renewables
• Demonstrate strategic understanding of upscaling finance and mobilising private capital
• Mobilise a critical mass of municipalities (or groupings) via an inclusive outreach strategy covering Europe
• Ensure third-party applicants (cities/municipalities) provide proof of political commitment, existing planning resources (SECAPs, heating/cooling plans or equivalent), clear potential for investment and energy savings, defined investment sectors, proposed financial solutions, governance arrangements, stakeholder engagement strategy, long-term capacity building plan and a commitment to monitor investment implementation for at least one year
• Form a consortium of at least three independent beneficiaries from three different eligible countries
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
• Single-stage submission by 23 September 2025, 17:00 Brussels time
• Only one proposal will be selected under topic LIFE-2025-CET-EUCF
• Minimum three distinct beneficiaries from three eligible countries (no affiliated entities)
• Lump-sum grants must constitute 70–75% of the budget; overall LIFE funding rate 95% for Other Action Grants
• Financial support to third parties must comply with EU rules on transparency, equal treatment, conflict of interest and confidentiality
• Proposals must quantify results at project end and five years thereafter using the topic-specific and LIFE CET common indicators; not all listed indicators must be addressed
• Applicants must meet admissibility, eligibility, financial/operational capacity and exclusion criteria as per the call document
• Commission indicative budget up to EUR 15 million (other amounts may be considered)
• Proposals may organise calls with regional or sectoral focus
• Only one proposal will be selected under topic LIFE-2025-CET-EUCF
• Minimum three distinct beneficiaries from three eligible countries (no affiliated entities)
• Lump-sum grants must constitute 70–75% of the budget; overall LIFE funding rate 95% for Other Action Grants
• Financial support to third parties must comply with EU rules on transparency, equal treatment, conflict of interest and confidentiality
• Proposals must quantify results at project end and five years thereafter using the topic-specific and LIFE CET common indicators; not all listed indicators must be addressed
• Applicants must meet admissibility, eligibility, financial/operational capacity and exclusion criteria as per the call document
• Commission indicative budget up to EUR 15 million (other amounts may be considered)
• Proposals may organise calls with regional or sectoral focus
Important dates
Open from: 24/04/2025
Deadline:23/09/2025
Application period has ended
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